My late doctor was a soccer player.Former captain of Guatemala.Played professionally in Mexico while in med school.

Dr. Kenneth Ewing used to tell me he drove east on the Long Island Expressway to watch weekend games in Latino neighborhoods.“Those kids play better than our national players” the doctor said.What he meant was that young players had moves they learned from their fathers and uncles and brothers, playing the game they knew and loved.I used to argue with him, or rationalize. Not a good idea against an old defender.

I was thinking of the good doctor Friday night when I witnessed Christian Pulisic’s bag of tricks against Panama. The kid – 19 – has somehow shrugged off the volunteer coaches with an instructional book in one hand who urge the lads to cut all the fancy stuff and boot the ball upfield.(“Stay back, you’re a midfielder!”)

Pulisic went to Dortmund at an early ago and German coaches fortified rather than nullified his instincts.(What John Thompson, when he coached Georgetown basketball, used to scornfully call “The Boogaloo” – meaning that fancy stuff would immediately earn a seat on the bench.)

Christian Pulisic employed The Old Boogaloo against Panama on Friday night in a game the United States needed or face four years of shame. But the kid and his mates (and, yes, Coach Bruce Arena, with his go-for-it formation) staved off disgrace with a 4-0 victory that puts them in good position to play in Port of Spain Tuesday night and wrap up an eighth straight trip to the World Cup in 2018.

The best move was on the second goal. Pulisic had scored the first one. Now he took a luscious lead pass down the left side and busted downfield, with poorly-placed defenders trying to catch up.One of them tried to square up against Pulisic and the kid performed a series of fakes and false starts, dragging his rear leg while actually accelerating. He turned the corner, lashed a lefty pass toward the goal where Jozy Altidore put it away.

First time I saw moves like that was, as a kid, watching the old New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference in Yankee Stadium, late ‘40s, when a little chunk of a scatback named Buddy Young, out of Illinois, practitioner of The Boogaloo, would jitter around defenses. Lovely man, Buddy Young, passed too soon. Wouldn’t I like to tell him he has a spiritual grandson, out of Hershey, Pa., who somehow escaped the inhibitions of local American soccer coaching to help win an absolutely vital match.

Pulisic’s story is just beginning. Opponents in regional play hack him cynically; I hope officiating in the Bundesliga is tighter.Bless all the lovely players who have taken the U.S. this far – Claudio Reyna, Tab Ramos, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, Jozy Altidore, you name ‘em.

The U.S. has a kid who can stutter-step. I’d love to hear my doctor react to that.

* * *Best piece I’ve seen on Pulisic was written by Jacob Klinger 15 months ago:

Hi George. Good to see the USA bust out last night. I love when you cover the beautiful game! Heading to Costa Brava (Catalonia!!!) Wednesday. Meeting a Catalan soccer friend (lifelong Espanyol supporter) for the newly promoted Girona v Villarreal match in Girona’s 15,000 capacity venue next Sunday. I’ll send you a pic or two. Warm regards, Michael

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George Vecsey

10/7/2017 10:26:13 am

Michael, great to hear from you. Yeah, I've been distracted by other "public events" in past year. But I am obsessive about USMNT perils.
Good trip. The Catalan saga goes on....great part of the world. Girona was big US cycling haven during the Lance Era. Be well. GV

Michael--you are in for a treat. The Costa Brava area is a delightful area to visit. Girona is a gem. Try to view the city at night from the other side of the river and catch the reflections of the old buildings in the water.

We visited their Jewish Museum and learned that there were no longer any Jews in Girona. They felt that the Jewish history of the town was important to preserve.

As George well knows, soccer games in the intimate European city based stadiums are always colorful. My friend and I attended a Bordeaux-Maccabi Tel Aviv game in Bordeaux. An Israeli fan sat next to us and could not believe that Americans were interested in watching a soccer game. His first comment when he learned we were Americans was-what are you guys doing here? Actually, he was fun to be with and we were the only non-Bordeaux fans in the stadium, except for the visiting team section at one corner of the field.

Bordeaux took an early 1-0 lead, but our friend loudly announced that Tel Aviv would come back, which they did to win 2-1. The French around us were amused and friendly.

Mendel, Shalom:
Team still has some of the cogs of the 2010 champions and always has new wave of talent from best clubs.
Currently, huge controversy over Catalan independence: and Gerald Pique, star defender, is in the middle of it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/06/gerard-pique-booed-spain-fans-win-albania/
That 2010 team was so elegant, with smart, short, interior passes and great defense. My favorite that year was Andres Iniestra, moon-faced balding guy who makes the engine run. But he is hurt for this game:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2736344-alvaro-morata-andres-iniesta-dani-carvajal-out-of-spains-world-cup-qualifiers
The other guy I like to watch is Sergio Ramos, tireless defender, plays the whole field. I enjoy watching him make runs when he plays right back. Tough and emotional.
Enjoy, GV.

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Mendel

10/10/2017 04:07:33 am

After sneaking into the King David hotel and squatting in the lobby for 2 hours to take selfies with the Spaniards - we ordered fries and Pelegrino - I attended my first ever football match with my three sons. In the 30,000 seat Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem the action was easy to follow. Oh so different than the Knicks in MSG or the NYM at Shea. I have been soccer-converted.

George Vecsey

10/10/2017 09:05:48 am

Mendel, just caught up with the 1-0 score. Valiant by home boys.
Watching that 2010 team develop -- Euro champs, as well -- was a treat. Spanish football owes debt to Johan Cruyff and his coach. Players expected to be footballers -- play the total field. They had a big win in 2010 when defender Puyol scored --- on a header, outleaped them all. Arriba!

Lucky you to see them informally. They were friendly? I remember them as quite pleasant with reporters in 2010.

GV

charlie vincent

10/8/2017 12:51:42 pm

Well done all around, of course, but I especially liked your shoutout to the young men who struggled and endured in the early stages of the national team renaissance; I was privileged to be among the US press contingent in Italy during difficult days for the American side

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George Vecsey

10/9/2017 09:51:43 am

Hey, Charlie, great to hear from you. How did you fare in the hurricane? Hope your lake area was okay.

Yes, that was a great time, those three games in Italy. It was like the Children's Crusade, sending military-prep-school kids out to war. But Gansler and Meola and Windischman and Desmond Armstrong were starting something....:Plus, we got to be in Italy for a chunk of time. My wife still likes to remind me that I passed up freebies for the Three Tenors just before the final in Olimpico.
Great memories to a valued colleague, George

Jacob Klinger's article on Pulisic correctly addresses one of the major problems with youth soccer in the United States. There is too much emphasis on winning and not enough on player development. Instinctive players are usually squelched in the coach's desire for conformity. Fortunately, the obsession to funnel plays into elite programs are being countered with a growing "let them play and be themselves" movement.

I see this up close in my area-Pittsfield in Berkshire County, MA. Within the past year three clubs have combined to form an "elite" program designed to get players into colleges. Fortunately, I am getting feedback from parents of goalkeepers who I coach expressing dissatisfaction with the change. Many have already dropped out and have returned to a normal fun filled environment.

I have followed professional soccer in the United States since the days of the Metrostars. It has been a long bumpy road, but with a lot of excitement along the way.

We are just beginning to see the fruits of this long often frustrating process.

I remember Buddy Young. He was so exciting to watch and I'm not a big football fan.

charlie vincent

10/14/2017 11:31:41 am

Thanks for your concern, George. We had no problem with the hurricane. We are about 45 minutes northwest of Austin; two of my brothers, who live in Victoria -- where we grew up -- had only minor damage but were without electricity and water for more than a week.
Like you i have very fond memories of those times in Italy (despite the US 5-1 loss to the Czechs in the opener which pretty much set the tone) and I vividly remember the night of the Tenors beneath the Eiffel Tower.
Trinidad loss is just unimaginable, I guess, if I were not 77, an age hardened by enough years to realize nothing is unimaginable

George Vecsey

10/9/2017 12:15:28 pm

Alan, thanks for reading Jacob's piece. He has done some really good stuff for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg. Pulisic had the moves as a kid and his parents know the sport and they sent him where he could develop -- Dortmund. That is not the answer for most young players, of course, but those "elite" programs can be cold, and teach kids the wrong lessons -- a team sport is really about looking good for college coaches scouting in the stands. Teamwork -- even simple camaraderie and leadership from within -- is minimized.
On the other hand, there are volunteer coaches (like Alan Rubin) who spread the techniques and the mentality to young people.
Then again, your position -- keeper -- is the easiest to teach to young athletes (Scurry, Solo, Meola, Keller, Friedel, Howard, Guzan, Rimando, etc.)
Good on you, GV

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Sgc

10/10/2017 09:58:10 am

I was going to mention his parents as one of the ingredients in the secret sauce. His parents knew the game better than his youth coaches did, and limited his time in the structured programs too early. Marc also was an indoor pro, exposing Christian to pros at a young age.

It was crucial, of course, that young Christian also loved to develop his game by himself or in informal situations. The young player learns from trying things, and watching.

The structure is quite useful at a later age, but first you want to back off and let kids develop their feel for the game. A lot of it is about problem solving, and Christian is very good at it.

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George Vecsey

10/10/2017 11:57:05 am

Informal, watching, "by himself." When I was a kid, I watched Brooklyn Dodgers and Knicks, and practiced moves alone. Helps if one is an athlete which I was not, but the rare kid with talent like Pulisic has already imaged circumstances. Somebody once asked Jordan about a dunk during a game. Did he just come up with it? Jordan gave the guy a look. Said he had made that move 1,000 times in the gym. Betcha Pulisic practiced those moves alone -- not with a coach yelling at him to stop showboating. GV

Andy Tansey

10/11/2017 07:25:31 am

Perhaps if USMNT could have provided Christian with some service last night, they'd play in Russia 2018. I am very sad today. One joke was that they have done their best to avoid a visit to the White House.

Actually, I tell my youngsters that the fundamentals of goalkeeping are very simple and easy to learn. However, becoming a good keeper requires time, patience, hard work and dedication. They are very understanding and quickly grasp the concept.

Goalkeepers are special as they need to develop qualities and skills not required of field players. They need to be thick skinned, be leaders and highly self confident.

A field player misses an open net several times during a game and shrugs it off while fans grown and wait for the next attack.

No such forgiveness is afforded when a keeper allows a goal, even if it was the result of teammate error. They just quickly retrieve the ball, shout encouragement to the team and get ready for the next save.

Goalkeepers should never publically show disrespect for a teammate whose mistake results in a goal. It comes with the territory.

I told my teammates to always follow the ball right up to the other keeper even if it was a slow roller. You never know when they might mishandle the ball. Also, it is one more thing for the keeper to think about.

Lehigh was nearing the end of the second overtime period tied 1-1 against the defending champions Haverford. A slow roller went through their keepers legs at the same time our Brazilian attacker turned away and walked back.

I did not mention anything until later in the week when I asked him, "what do they teach you in Brazil?" He smiled and said "never again". We were in the same grade and he always followed the ball in for the next three years.

Getting angry never brought a goal back.

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Mendel

10/10/2017 12:30:03 pm

Difficult to judge player friendliness in the hotel before the game, as handlers and hotel security did their part to keep us at bay. During the game, however, in an early exchange, Ramos and Nacho played headers back and forth over Tomer Hemed, in what was obviously gratuitous showboating. Pretty soon afterwards, Eliran Atar dropped Ramos with some fancy footwork, getting the best of him before a cheering home crowd. Compared to what I see on TV the Spanish celebration after they scored at 76:00 was quite tame.

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Joshua Rubin

10/10/2017 05:28:07 pm

RE: My dad's advice to attackers to always follow the ball until controlled by the keeper:

I remember an NASL final in the 70s won by the Cosmos. The opposing keeper made a save and started to advance to the edge of the box, putting the ball on the ground as required. The keeper lost track of the fact that Cosmos Stevie Hunt had finished the [play behind the goal line. Hunt snuck up, stole the ball, and scored a quick goal. Lots of would-be Stevie Hunts at the HS club level after that, As a keeper, I had to learn to protect the ball more carefully and always look around before putting the ball down. And I remember it was Stevie Hunt because i would grumble his name every time an attacker swarmed around me while I held the ball, waiting for me to do something.

Funny about the Spanish team. In 2010, it looked like they had cracked the code on the right way to play and invented a system that would make them perpetual contenders for the cup. Alas, that system depended more than we thought on the skill of the particular players. Always interesting, though, to see a sport reinvented a bit, such as Spain did, or as Golden State has done recently with basketball.

The loss to T & T was a disappointment that could be seen coming. I hope it triggers some realistic and honest soul searching.

One comment that I saw was that United States soccer has long overlooked the very large minority talent pool. The NSCAA, National Soccer Coaches of America (now United Soccer Coaches) has continually said that our "pay-to-play" system is the wrong model and will never plae the MNT among the soccer powers of the world.

Germany's youth programs are free. They have the knack of developing elite players who can express individuality and also give the average player the same coaching experience. The only rigidity that I see in their program is that the style of play is the same at every level. Bayern Munich's players can fit into a slot on any team level and be familiar with they system.

I hope that the USMNT continues to play internationally as much as possible during this WC cycle as the program is evaluated and moves forward.

It has been said, "it is a shame to waste a crisis."

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Coach Joe Mihalich, center, runs practice

OLD JOCKS CHEERMy Hofstra pals went to a practice -- and later the new players won a thriller near buzzer. ​Please see:https://nationalsportsmedia.org/news/my-alma-mater-thrills-some-old-players-